Supervisor Says Peace Offering Falls Short * Richland Twp. Official Says It Will Take More To End Colleague Lawsuit.

July 02, 1996|by KEITH HERBERT, The Morning Call

Despite a peace offering from his Republican colleagues on the Richland Township Board of Supervisors, Rick Orloff said yesterday he will continue his legal battle against them.

Supervisor Chairman Earl Kline and Vice Chairman Thomas Glackin announced during a June 24 meeting that a public censure of Orloff would be rescinded. Like the censure itself, the repeal was to be published in local newspapers. That hasn't happened yet.

When voting, the two supervisors said they hoped dropping the censure would set the stage for cooperation among the three Republicans in the future.

Orloff, who was not at the June 24 meeting but was back in town yesterday, said the action taken by Kline and Glackin falls short of what he expected when he filed suit against the supervisors on June 7.

"First of all, it was cowardly because it wasn't done when I was there," Orloff said. "Secondly, I don't think they're nice guys. They're doing it because they're faced with a lawsuit."

Neither Kline nor Glackin could be reached for comment.

Orloff was censured in February for releasing an audit report to the press before it was discussed in executive session by the supervisors.

Orloff claimed the report was never to be discussed in secret. He rejected Kline and Glackin's claims that the report contained personnel information, which can be kept confidential under the law.

The lawsuit also claims that power to censure an elected official isn't found in state law. Without an admission by Kline and Glackin that their actions were wrong, the legal fight will continue, Orloff said.

"There's no acknowledgment that it was a wrongful act," Orloff said.

In addition, an admission of a "wrongful act" would have to be published, as the censure was, and the township would have to pay for the cost of bringing the lawsuit, Orloff said.